What Could Have Been
by Landwardgnat817
Summary: In the alternate timeline where Max is a member of the Vortex Club, she must navigate high school drama and solve a murder mystery. Will she succeed? Only with the rights friends at her side.
1. Chapter 1

**So I've done a few LIS works, but I never felt that they really had the effect I was hoping for, so I ended up removing them, to be returned to at a later date. For now, enjoy this story. I look forward to hearing what you think in the comments!**

Max sat with her group of friends at lunch, waiting in the cool fall air for the bell to ring, calling them all back to class. She looked lazily around the group of her friend in order that they sat. Taylor, Courtney, Dana, Juliet, Logan, Hayden Zach, and Nathan. They were all off talking in their own little groups, mostly chatting about boys – in the girls' case- and football –in the boys' case. Max, however, couldn't focus on anything but what she had seen yesterday. She was staring off in to space, deeply concentrating on the thoughts running through her head.

"Maxine, did you hear anything I just said?" Max snapped out of her revere to see her closest friend standing over her, wearing her usual collection of clothing that max could never afford.

"Sorry, Victoria," Max smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck as the other girl stared her down. After a moment of eying Max suspiciously, Victoria let out a sigh and sat in the grass next to her, careful not to get her skirt dirty.

"It's fine, Max," She waved her hand dismissively. "I was just asking what you think the theme for the next Vortex party should be?"

Max simply shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I bet the others would have some ideas," she said, trying to divert the question onto the others.

"Nice try max, but I've already asked them; now I want to know what _you_ think about it!" Victory leaned back, propping herself up on her arms as she examined the look on Max's face. There was a long pause before she spoke again. "In all honesty, Max, we're worried about you,"

It was then that max realizes all other conversations had stopped, and all eyes were on her. Dana nodded, speaking up after Victoria. "She's right, Max. ever since you ran off yesterday at lunch, you've been acting strange."

"You didn't even come to history yesterday," Nathan added. "It's not like you to skip, Is everything alright, Maxine?"

Max swallowed nervously. She supposed she should tell her friends, it wasn't right to keep them in the dark like this, especially when they were so worried about her. Except Courtney, she wasn't even paying attention, simply scrolling through something on her phone.

"It's… kinda heavy," Max said slowly, wringing her hands rather nervously, trying to avoid eye contact with any of her friends.

"That's okay, Maxine," Victoria gave her a smile and reached out to squeeze her hand reassuringly. "We're all here for you, whatever it is that's troubling you."

The others all nodded and voiced their agreeance, along with many comforting smiles, and a thumbs up form Hayden and Logan.

Max took a shaky breath, squeezing her friend's hand back, before she started to speak. "Yesterday I learned some… pretty awful news, I guess it's still pretty hard for me to believe. I had realized that in the month I've been here at Blackwell, back in Arcadia Bay, I never went to visit Chloe, an old friend of mine. We never stayed in contact while I lived in Seattle, and she was pretty mad with me when I left, so I was nervous to see her. When I went to visit her, I found out that she had gotten into an accident shortly after I moved to Seattle. She's… almost completely paralyzed from the neck down."

Max let out a breath, now that it was off her chest, even though she hadn't told the whole truth. The others all voiced their sympathy and apologies, and the girls –with the exception of Courtney – all got up and hugged her tightly. Max thanked each of them. She turned to speak with Victoria, but instead found Nathan standing there, rubbing the back of his neck while he looked at his feet. "Nathan?" She said, getting his attention. He looked up suddenly.

"Hey, Max," he said, looking somewhat awkward, standing there looking so nervous. Max wondered what he was so nervous about. "I'm sorry to hear about your friend, and I just want you to know that, if you ever need it, I'm here to talk." He slowly held out his arms, and max took the hint, chuckling to herself as she pulled the taller boy in for a hug.

"Thanks, Nathan," She smiled, once they had separated. "I really appreciate it, it means a lot that I have friends to talk to when I need it.

Nathan seemed to deflate slightly at the word "friends" but max didn't notice. Just then the bell rang, and the rest of the group made their way back towards the school, leaving Max standing in the grass. She let out a deep sigh and slung her messenger bag over her shoulder. She was about to turn and head to the school herself, but someone grabbed her arm. She looked over to see Victoria standing there with a concerned expression on her face.

"Can we talk for a minute, Maxine?" She asked, letting go of max's arm. She let out a small huff, as if she was nervous about something.

"Sure, Victoria," Max nodded, looking at her friend with a curious expression. What's on your mind?"

"It's no secret that you're one of the only people in this school that I actually treat like a human being," Victoria began, her eyes avoiding Max's as she spoke. What she said was true, the only people Victoria treated with respect were Max, Nathan and Taylor, her three closest friends. "I just wanted to thank you, for making me apologize to Kate for teasing her, and… the other thing."

Max nodded, understanding what this "other thing" was.

A week prior, Victoria had gotten her hands on a video of Kate making out with several other students. She was going to show it all over social media to humiliate the religious girl, bet then Max got wind of what she was planning. She immediately confronted Victoria, and after nearly an hour of expressing how disappointed she was, Victoria deleted the video.

"After seeing how devastated Kate was by the teasing alone, I can't imagine how she would react to seeing the video of her posted online." Victoria continued. "I'm glad that you managed to talk me out of posting it, and I'm glad to have you as a friend, despite how shitty I can be."

"Victoria," Max frowned, crossing her arms. "You are _not_ a shitty person! You just… don't know how to express yourself." Victoria could agree with that statement to some extent, now that she thought about it. Whenever she was talking to someone, rather that explaining what she was really trying to express, she usually ended up insulting the person in one way or another.

"Thanks, Max," Victoria smiled, then her smiled was replaced by a concerned frown. "I realize this may be a sore subject for you, but I want to help, just like you helped me. When you told us about… your friend, Chloe, I could tell that something was wrong. And I mean worse than just your friend having gotten in an accident. You seemed… I don't know, but there is definitely something you didn't tell everyone."

Max was about to speak up, but Victoria cut her off before she had a chance. "I'm not going to force you to tell me, but I want you to come to me, if and when, you are ready to talk. Until then," Victoria held out her arms awkwardly. It took Max a moment before she realized what Victoria was doing, then the shorter girl crashed into the blonde's arms, hugging her tight. She felt Victoria hugging her back, and after a few short seconds, the two separated.

"If you ever need anything, Max," Victoria said. "You can always come to me."

"Thanks, Victoria," Max smiled at her friend, her cheeks slightly flushed. "I will,"

"Good," She nodded with a smile. "Now, shall we head to class? I really don't feel like being marked late today."

Max stepped into her photography class, sliding into the seat at the back of the class. Despite the conversation she had with Victoria, she still arrived in the class before anyone else. A few seconds passed before another person entered the class, smiling as she sat down next to the hipster.

"Hi Taylor," Max greeted her with a smile, shifting her chair to the side so the girl could sit properly at the table.

"Hey Maxine," Taylor smiled. When max had first arrived at Blackwell, she hated it when people would call her Maxine. Now, however, she really didn't mine it so much. She had also used to wear baggy sweaters and jeans, along with dorky T-shirts, but becoming such close friends with Victoria seemed to have changed her style. Now, her usual attire consisted of plain long sleeve shirts and skinny jeans as well as converse instead of running shoes. She had even grown her hair out, and usually kept it tied back in a ponytail like when she was younger. She kept the messenger bag, though; she couldn't bring herself to stop using it, and besides, it was useful for carrying her camera in a place she could reach it easily. That was another thing that hadn't changed. Max still used her Yellow polaroid camera; she just liked the way the photos turned out on film, the style was so much more appealing to her than digital.

"I'm surprised you beat me here," Taylor laughed, setting up her papers and pens on the desk. "I thought I saw you stay behind to talk to Victoria."

"I did," Max nodded, "I guess I just walk fast?" she suggested with a shrug.

"I guess so," Taylor nodded, then after a moment she donned a look of deep thought. "Who do you think you'll choose?"

Max returned a confused stare, not sure what she was talking about. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"I'm talking about Nathan and Victoria!" Taylor explained gleefully. She cleared her throat once she realized that other students were starting to trickle in, and she had been a bit loud. In a quieter voice she continued. "Those two can't get enough of you! Victoria told be all about how grateful she was that you were able to talk her out of hurting Kate any more than she already has, and Nathan– oh god, I've never seen anyone as confident as him act to awkward around anyone!"

Max was thoroughly perplexed, looking at Taylor with an almost glossy look in her eyes, completely lost to this conversation. "I don't follow…" she said slowly.

"You can sure be really dense sometimes, Maxine," Taylor laughed playfully. "Nathan's got 'the hots' and Victoria's got a lady boner for you!" Seeing Max's still obviously confused look, she let out a sigh. Obviously she would have to spell it out carefully for her. "We're talking about Nathan and Victoria."

"I get that part," Max nodded.

Taylor continued. "And, they both like the same person… a certain brown haired, doe eyed hipster,"

Max's eyes went wide all of a sudden. "wait, you mean–

"Now you get it!" Taylor clapped her hands together excitedly.

"That's crazy!" Max's mouth dropped open, before snapping it shut again, realizing that she had nearly shouted, earning a few glances from her classmates.

Satisfied with herself, Taylor gave a smug smile before changing the subject. She could see max's mind racing, trying to think things through clearly the girl wasn't prepared for the revelation. "Anyways," She said, leaning onto the table casually. "I thought you were with Victoria, why didn't you two just come to class together like usual?"

It took max a few moments before she could clear her head and respond. "Um, she had to get her books form her locker…" as if on cue, Victoria strutted into the classroom, followed by Courtney, who was carrying her own books, along with Victoria's.

Upon seeing the smug look on Taylor's face, Victoria's eyes narrowed suspiciously. She had Courtney place her books next to max, on the opposite of Taylor, leaving final girl to have to sit at a separate table, where Brooke sat with Kate. Max noticed how Kate grimaced when Courtney sat with them. Even though Victoria apologized, and had even gone as far as declaring Kate off limits to bullying, Courtney continued to harass her. Max offered the Christian girl a friendly wave, to which Kate smiled widely and waved back. Despite max being a part of the Vortex Club, she and Kate had always gotten along famously since they first became friends at the beginning of the year, and often enjoyed each other's company as they had weekly tea dates, where they would always chat much longer than they had intended.

"What were you two talking about?" Victoria asked Taylor, her eyes still narrowed at her. She wasn't always the most observant person, in fact she rarely paid attention to most things that didn't immediately involve her, but she could always tell when Taylor was up to something, or had been talking about a juicy bit of gossip.

"Nothing that concerns you, sweetie," Taylor teased. These terms of endearment always worked to get under Victoria's skin. It was just too easy to resist doing.

Victoria let out a frustrated huff, crossing her arms and looking to Max. "Will _you_ tell me what you were talking about?"

Max blushed slightly, avoiding Victoria's gaze, all of the sudden feeling very self-conscious about making eye contact with her. "It was nothing Victoria," she stammered. She could feel her pulse pick up all of a sudden. _Come on, Max!_ she thought to herself. _You've never acted like this around her before, why are you suddenly being so weird?_

Victoria looked as though she was about to push further, but she seemed to sense max's discomfort, so she quickly dropped the subject. "Fine," she let out a sigh, crossing her legs as she prepared her books and pencils for class.

Just then the classroom door opened again, and their photography teacher, Mr. Jefferson, entered the room. "All right everyone, settle down," he said over the rather noisy conversations that were occurring throughout the class. He dropped his bag by his desk and slid his usual suit jacket off, hanging it over the back of his swivel chair. "Now, before we begin today's material, I feel the need to remind you all about rule of thirds." There were some grumpy mumbles shared amongst some of the student. "I know you're all proficient photographers by now, but judging by how disappointing some of last week's assignment's submissions were in this aspect, I clearly need to refresh you all,"

The teacher went on about the proper use of the photography strategy, but for once Max had a difficult time paying attention. She was so preoccupied in her thoughts that she didn't realize that class had ended until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see that the rest of the class had already left the room, except for Victoria, who was the one whose hand was on her shoulder.

"Are you alright, Maxine?" she asked, looking concerned for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day. "You've been zoned out all class; you're normally so attentive in Mr. Jefferson's class.

"I'm fine, I think," Max nodded, indicating that she was fine. After a moment of silence, she spoke again. "There's something I want to tell you," Victoria's face lit up slightly at Max's words, though she didn't notice. "It's about Chloe…"

Victoria's expression dropped, and she squeezed Max's shoulder reassuringly. "Sure, Max" She gave a kind smile. "Why don't we talk about it back in one of our rooms, I doubt you want to talk about it here." She gestured around the class, empty except for Mr. Jefferson typing idly away at his computer.

Max nodded again, shouldering her bag as the two of them stood, making their way to the door.

"Max," Mr. Jefferson called from his computer, not looking up. "I'm still waiting for your submission for the Everyday Heroes contest," He informed her, still typing away.

"Yes, Mr. Jefferson," Max swallowed uncomfortably. She had no confidence in what she had selected for her entry. "I'll hand it in soon, I promise."

He finally looked up from his computer to look at her. "Don't keep me waiting, Max," he turned back to his computer and the girls left the classroom.

"You still haven't handed yours in yet, Maxine?" Victoria asked, giving her yet another concerned glance.

"I'm… working on it," She lied. She had already taken the photo nearly the first day the contest had been announced, but she had been stewing over handing it in ever since. Thankfully, Victoria didn't push the matter, and the two walked in relative silence back to the dorms.

 **Don't forget to comment, and hit that Kudos if you like it. don't forget to subscribe to keep updated with future chapters. Toodles!**


	2. Chapter 2

Here's the second chapter, hopefully I didn't keep you all waiting too long, as I was busy this past week studying for exams. Enjoy, and leave Kudos, a comment, and follow if you enjoy!

Max and Victoria pushed their way through the heavy double doors that led into the dormitories, side by side as they traversed up the stairs to the second floor to where the girls' rooms where. As they reached the top and began making their way down the hall, they were interrupted by Juliet, who stepped in front of them.

"Hey Maxine," She greeted the shorter girl with a weak smile before turning to Victoria. "Turns out Zachary has been sexting _someone_ ," she nearly spat her words out, her eyes narrowed at the blonde. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Victoria immediately opened her mouth to retaliate against Juliet's accusatory question, but hesitated when she caught the disappointed look from Max. instead of spitting fire back at the "X-treme Reporter", she let out a heavy sigh before she reluctantly nodded her head. "Actually, I do," she said, guilt sinking in.

Juliet looked taken aback, clearly not having expected such an admission to actually come from Victoria. After a moment she recomposed herself, donning her scrutinizing glare once again. "Care to elaborate?" She asked, though her stare was that of a demanding nature.

Casting her eyes to the floor, Victoria began to speak. "I thought it would an interesting thing to do, maybe cause a little drama." She could feel Juliet's gaze boring into her, drawing the words out from her. "So I asked Zachary to help out, he thought it would be hilarious; I don't think it occurred to him that it meant he would be blamed for sexting." She felt Max gently nudge her, urging her on. "I'm… I'm sorry. It was a stupid, Awful thing to do,"

Juliet's face flared with anger suddenly, but then it almost immediately fell into disappointed, almost sad look. "I forgive you," she said quietly.

Victoria blinked rapidly, her face clearly displaying her shock. "You do?" she asked incredulously.

"I do," The reporter nodded. "Listen, I know you're a total _bitch_ sometimes," she began, crossing her arms as she shifted her weight against a wall. "But I can tell that you're trying to change, and trying hard, which can't be easy. Besides, Zachary is my boyfriend, who agreed to the entire stupid idea!" She growled the last part and quickly withdrew her phone from her pocket, examining something on the screen. "Speaking of which, I plan on giving him and piece of my mind!" she said, shoving her phone back into her pocket. Her gaze softened ever so slightly when she looked back at Victoria and max. "We'll talk more about this later in a civilized matter, got it?"

Victoria nodded meekly as Juliet stepped past them and towards the exit, no likely on her way to find Zachary. Max almost felt bad for him; it was no secret that Juliet was practically a force of nature; no telling what she might do to him, though a swift kick where it counts was definitely on the table, after much scolding, of course.

Max gently tugged on Victoria's sleeve, and the two continued their way down the hall. "I can't believe she forgave me…" she murmured as they entered her room.

"She's still upset with you, though," max nodded. "It's going to take some doing to earn back the trust that you lost." Thought she had no doubt that Victoria was capable of mending the broken friendship, as long as she set her mind to it.

"I know," nodded in agreement, sitting down with a thud on the edge of her bed. After a pause she spoke again. "Thanks, Maxine, you're like my conscious lately." She let out a halfhearted laugh. It was no secret that her actions were beginning to weigh heavily on her. "Dammit, why do I have to be such a colossal bitch?" she asked no one in particular.

Max sat down next to Victoria, setting a hand gently on her shoulder. "that doesn't make you a bad person," she comforted her gently. "It just means-"

"I know, I know, something about how I'm not 'in tune' with my emotions." The blonde immediately winced at her own words. "I'm sorry, you didn't deserve that."

"It's okay," Max replied, unfazed by the snide comment. The two of them sat there in silence for a while, until Victoria straightened herself up, turning to Max.

"Look at me, being all needy when you are the one who needs a shoulder to lean on."

"We can talk about it some other time, if you need me to just listen to you for now," Max offered patting Victoria's shoulder reassuringly. She didn't really mind putting her own problems aside for the time being let Victoria vent about whatever it was that was bothering her. As a matter of fact, even though Max knew she would have to tell Victoria what her own problems were eventually, she was by no means eager to do so. Any distraction was welcomed by her with open arms.

"No, Maxine," Victoria put on her trademark serious face, her voice stern. "You said you wanted to talk, so I won't steal the spotlight; what's been bothering you? Besides Chloe being in an accident, I mean." Victoria winced slightly, worried her words may have been a been insensitive given the situation, but Max didn't seem to mind.

Max let out a deep sigh, shifting on the bed so she was properly facing Victoria. "I told you earlier today about what happened to Chloe, but… It wasn't the entire truth; I left some pretty big details out…"

It was Victoria's turn to comfort Max, so she placed her hand on the other girl's arm, squeezing gently to let her know that she was there for her. Max swallowed nervously, her palms becoming sweaty, her entire body anticipating the admission of what she was about to say.

"I lied," Max began to say, wringing her hands nervously. "about not having contacted Chloe while I was in Seattle. While it was true that we did… drift apart, we sent letters to each other from time to time. She never told me that she had been injured; I think she was worried I would be just another person to give her pity, which was the last thing she wanted."

Victoria didn't interrupt as Max spoke, waiting for the girl to continue after she had taken a long, shaky breath. "When we were catching up…" Tears started to well up in her eyes, prompting Victoria to gently pull Max into her arms, Max's head nestled in the crook of her shoulder, her tears staining the expensive cashmere sweater. Normally any damage to her cashmere would earn the perpetrator the full wrath of Victoria, but right now she only held the other girl close, gently rubbing her back. "It's okay, Maxine, you don't have to continue if it's too hard."

Max sniffed loudly and rubbed her eyes before struggling to continue. "She… she asked me to… Kill her, so that her last memories would be of us. They would be of us being reunited."

Victoria's surprise was hidden from Max, since the brunette's face was buried in her shoulder. She simply kept soothingly rubbing Max's back. "I'm sorry, max," She said quietly, the story bringing a few tears to her own eyes. "I can't imagine what that must be like…"

Max nodded ever so slightly, and her crying slowed somewhat as she pulled away to look at Victoria. "I didn't… I didn't do it," Max explained, a pang of worry entering her eyes.

"I never thought you did," Victoria assured her, not forcing her back into a hug, but letting her sit there. If she needed another hug, Victoria was sure she would take one on her own.

Max's tears seemed to have stopped flowing, at least for now, and she was no longer clinging to her friend. She hated when she cried in front of others, it always made her feel so vulnerable and weak, as if she was just some frail kid without any backbone.

"I'm sorry," she said, seeing the state of Victoria's cashmere. "I hope I didn't ruin it…"

"Don't worry about it, Maxine," Victoria waved her hand dismissively before placing it on max's knee, giving it a comforting squeeze. "are you going to be okay?"

"I think so," Max nodded, still sniffling ever so slightly as she did so. "I can't tell you how much this means to me," she said, gesturing meekly around her at their surroundings. "I really appreciate you letting me just vent to you like this."

"Hey," Victoria nudged her softly, getting Max to look up at her. "It's what friends are for, right?" in all honesty, Victoria was glad Max had come to her about this. She knew first-hand how keeping emotions buried inside could affect someone, and it wasn't pretty, at all.

"Can I have another hug?" Max asked sheepishly, holding her arms out very slowly, her entire body language asking for contact.

Victoria rolled her eyes, but couldn't help a smile that tugged at the corner of her lips. "I mean, if you must," She shrugged nonchalantly.

Max smiled, which caused Victoria to lose the struggle of keeping her indifferent attitude, as a smile of her of finally broke through and showed itself. Max scooted towards her and slipped her arms around her friend as Victoria did the same. They sat there in each other's embrace, for some reason neither of them pulling away.

It was only when the door to the room was thrust open that the two broke apart. Max was blushing slightly as she looked towards the door to see who had entered. Taylor stood in the doorway, looking surprised at first, but then her expression changed to a devilish smirk. She leaned nonchalantly against the doorframe. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, her voice practically dripping with sarcasm.

"Hardly," Victoria waved her hand dismissively as she stood, straightening herself out as she approached Taylor. "Maxine and I were simply discussing this week's photography assignment, weren't we, Maxine?" Victoria asked over her shoulder at Max, who was still looking embarrassed.

"Uh huh," Taylor narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms as Victoria walked up to her, not shying away from the Queen of Blackwell's Infamous glare. "I'm sure that's exactly what you were up to, Victoria,"

"Was there a reason you had for barging in without knocking?" Victoria snapped back, a little less venom in her voice than usual. She continued to stare down Taylor, knowing that _eventually_ it would start to break down her resolve. Not even she could stand against Victoria's stare forever, and, sure enough, Victoria could swear that she saw Taylor's defense start to crumble.

"I was just coming to let you know that Courtney and I are going into town to go shopping, since it is Friday, after all," Taylor explained, finally averting her eyes from Victoria's stare, unable to stand firm against it any longer. She remained in her firm posture, however, determined not to wilt completely before Victoria. She had enough will power for the appearance of being able to stand up to Victoria, at least. "Want to come along?" she glanced over Victoria's shoulder at max, who was still sitting on the bed awkwardly. "You're invited too, Maxine." She added. _Anything to get these two to spend time together_ , she thought. Besides, Taylor enjoyed Max's company.

"You just want me to drive you, don't you?" Victoria said accusingly, narrowing her eyes at her friend, who stood there with a guilty look on her face.

"That's only a small part of it," Taylor admitted, giving a sheepish smile. "But it will also be so much more fun if you came along! The both of you!"

Victoria hesitated, then let out a resigned sigh, "What do you think, Maxine?"

There was a short pause before Max appeared by Victoria's side. "I think that sounds like fun, and I have a free block this afternoon, so it's not like I'll by missing Class." Max agreed, smiling warmly. She had finally managed to compose herself after the embarrassment of being caught hugging Victoria. "Besides, I think it will help to get my mind off things." She admitted, her smiled fading slightly before she managed to bring it back to her face.

"All right," Victoria sighed again, though this one was obviously forced. Taylor could tell that there wasn't a chance that Victoria was going to back out if Max wanted to go. "Let me grab my purse and coat, then I'll be right out, okay?"

"Yay!" Taylor gave an excited clap before skittering out of the room. "See you in the parking lot, and don't keep us waiting too long," She gave a sly wink before shutting the door behind her, earning a shout from Victoria.

"Taylor!" she objected loudly as her friend left. Taylor could be hear laughing loudly as she scurried down the hallway towards the exit.

"I've already got my bag with me, so I'm ready to go," Max explained, standing by the door.

"Okay, one second," Victoria quickly grabbed her coat and purse, eager to find Taylor as fast as possible so the girl didn't come up with any wild ideas as to why she and max may have taken so long. "Alright, Maxine, let's go!"

Hope you enjoyed, don't forget to give kudos and follow if you enjoyed it, and please let me know what you thought!


	3. Chapter 3

I apologize for the wait; school has been busy. I hope you all enjoy, so if you do don't forget to leave a comment!

Max and Victoria walked towards the parking lot, pulling their coats tight against their bodies to shield themselves from the bitter October winds that always plagued the coast of Oregon this time of year. Even with her beloved grey hoodie, Max could feel the chill cutting through her clothes, sending an unpleasant shiver up her spine.

"Are you warm enough in that?" Victoria asked as they rounded a corner. The parking lot was close by, and Taylor and Courtney could be seen standing idly by Victoria's car.

"Yeah," Max nodded, not all that truthfully, but she didn't actually own a winter jacket. She had forgotten hers in Seattle, and hadn't gotten around to asking her parents to bring it down for her. She honestly figured it would just be easier to buy a new one, but she had yet to do that, either. Maybe she would buy one today; she had a little bit of spending money in her wallet, after all.

"Then why are you shivering?" She asked with suspicious glance. Sure enough, max was struggling to suppress the slight shivers that shook her ever so slightly. As usual, it seemed as though Max couldn't keep anything from Victoria. She felt that the taller girl was always so keen and attentive to even the smallest details. Victoria, on the other hand, felt as though she rarely noticed such things, except, for some reason, when it came to Max.

Max offered a sheepish grin before holding her hands up in defeat. "Alright, you got me," she chuckled at Victoria's exasperated expression. "Honestly Maxine, we were _just_ at my room, we could have made a quick stop by your room to pick up a better coat!" though her words sounded somewhat condescending, Max could tell that her friend didn't mean to sound that way. Especially because there was a slightly amused expression on her face.

"I didn't want to cause any trouble, and you looked like you were in a big hurry to get down here, and.." she trailed off slightly, somewhat worried by what her friend might think when she found out she didn't have a coat, and the reasons for it. "I don't own a coat; I'm not sure if I have the money to buy one right now." She confessed at last, simply mumbling the last words.

For a brief moment, there was a shocked look on Victoria's face. This information was clearly a shock to her. She always thought Max was well off. Sure, the shorter girl didn't wear clothes that were anything near the prices she herself wore, but she always used that polaroid camera. Film for those were by no means cheap. What money she had was constantly going towards that? She shook her head; it was clear that she would have to have a chat with her friend about proper budgeting and spending. Even being as wealthy as she was, Victoria was a master of saving money where she could. As a matter of fact, it was one of the reasons her parents gave her such a large allowance; they knew she wouldn't blow it all at once on something she would later regret.

"Then I'll buy you one," She offered.

"Victoria, there's no way I could let you–" Max was interrupted as they reached the other girls.

"Hey you two," Taylor grinned cheerfully at them, not realizing that she had been interrupting Max. "Ready to go?"

Max shot Victoria look that clearly said 'this isn't over' before she put on a smile and nodded. "Ready!" she replied, equally as cheerful.

"All right," Victoria interjected, retrieving her keys from her purse and unlocking her car. "Everybody in," she basically ordered as she slid into the driver's seat. Courtney went to get into the passenger seat, but Taylor snagged her by the arm and drug her towards the back seats, much to the other girl's protests. It wasn't that Taylor enjoyed Courtney's Company, in fact she found the other girl rather rude and annoying most of the time. Taylor was simply hatching a plan to get Max and Victoria to spend more time together. 'sorry Nathan,' she thought, 'I'm rooting for these two.'

Upon seeing the empty front seat, max hesitated, contemplating weather to offer the seat to Courtney. She looked as though she had wanted to sit there, after all. Max was snapped from her thoughts by Victoria, who was drumming her fingers impatiently on the wheel. "Are you coming, Maxine?" her demeanor seemed quite grumpy, but her voice betrayed her.

"Uh, yeah," Max nodded and slid into the car, fastening her seat belt right away. 'safety first' she thought as Victoria put the car in reverse and pulled out of the parking spot.

"Where are we going?" Courtney asked from the back, sounding somewhat annoyed.

"There's a new shopping center in Portland." Taylor suggested. "It's a bit of a drive, but I think it would be a lot of fun!"

"That doesn't seem like a bad idea," Victoria mused, before glanced at Max. "Are you okay with sitting in the car for two hours?"

"That seems a little long for such a spur of the moment idea," Max hesitated. "Won't we be back really late?"

"Well, its only one thirty now," Taylor said. "we'll get there around three thirty, which means we have plenty of time to spend there before coming back in time for curfew."

"Don't be such a stick in the mud, Max," Courtney piped up, only to have Taylor scold her quietly for being mean.

"Don't worry, Maxine, we can find something local if you'd prefer," Victoria offered, sending a reassuring smile her way.

"No, that's okay," Max finally said. She had been the one who had wanted to come along, so she thought it would be unfair if she put a damper on the group's plans. "Portland it is," She smiled back at Victoria warmly, causing the other girl to blush ever so slightly and hurriedly cast her gaze back to the road ahead.

"Yay!" Taylor cheered happily, fist bumping the air as if she had just won a victory. "Road trip!"

the other girls all laughed at her enthusiasm, even Courtney, who usually couldn't be bothered to share in such humour with the group.

After the laughter had settle down, Victoria reached out to the dash board and turned on the radio, switching her eyes from the road to the radio and back as she surfed for a channel until she was satisfied with her selection. The girls in the back sat in relative silence while max and Victoria chatted casually over the sound of the radio, which was playing some of the latest pop hits.

After a decent amount of time had passed, max's eyes began to lazily droop as she started to nod off. Noticing her friend seemed to be on the verge of sleep, Victoria halted their conversation so that she could sleep soundly. The blonde drove in silence, looking over her shoulder in the rear view mirror to see Courtney sound asleep as well, and Taylor smiling smugly, returning her gaze.

"What?" Victoria asked, her eyes narrowing at the sight of her friend's expression. It always bothered her when Taylor got like this; it made her feel like she knew something Victoria didn't, and it drove her crazy.

"Are you going to tell her?" Taylor asked quietly as to not wake either of the other girls. The last thing she wanted was for Courtney to overhear this conversation, and she didn't want max to wake up, which would result in Victoria trying to hurriedly shut Taylor up.

"Am I going to tell who what?" Victoria responded nonchalantly, glancing once and a while at her friend in the mirror, but for the most part keeping her eyes on the road.

"Oh, playing innocent, are we?" Taylor laughed, sitting up in her seat to lean forward so that she could speak to Victoria more easily. "Are you going to tell Maxine how you feel about her?" she asked.

There was long moment of hesitation before Victoria finally responded. "I… I don't know what you're talking about," she said, taking one of her hands off the wheel to wave it dismissively.

"Come on, Victoria," Taylor sighed, placing her hand on Victoria's shoulder. "You're my best friend; you can tell me anything."

Victoria was tempted to deny the accusation once again, but held her tongue. Finally, she gave a resigned sigh, her shoulders sagging slightly. "I guess there's no way I can convince you that you're imagining things, is there?" She asked, hoping that her friend might just forget this whole thing, but no such luck.

"Nope!" Taylor confirmed, "Now, spill it,"

With a few uncomfortable grumbles, Victoria took a breath. "I… Like her… I guess." She said nervously, looking in the mirror to see her friend's reaction. She looked amused for some reason. "What?" Victoria asked.

"I'm surprised you actually admitted it!" she responded with a grin. "You're usually impossible to get to open up."

Victoria shot her a sour look, which only made Taylor's grin widen. It was at that moment that Max began to stir, and the conversation was abruptly halted, and Victoria turned the radio back to its usual volume once again.

Max let out a long yawn, arching her back as she stretched in her seat. "Are we there yet?" She asked sleepily.

Victoria couldn't help but smile, amused by the girl's childish question. "Almost, we're about half an hour away. Do you want to go back to sleep?" She offered to the girl. "I can wake you when we get there."

"No, that's okay," Max shook her head and smiled. "I actually wasn't planning on falling asleep, but I guess I did anyways," she said sheepishly, Victoria turned the radio down once again so that they could talk.

"That's okay, Maxine," She said, then after a moment she added. "I hope you slept well." Victoria had to hide her blush, for some reason feeling embarrassed by saying that, though she didn't know why.

"Thanks!" Max smiled warmly at her, though Victoria was to busy staring ahead at the road to hide her embarrassment to notice. "I feel refreshed and ready to go! Which is honestly surprising because I usually feel tired and cranky after naps, and I often fall out of bed."

Victoria had to stifle a laugh as the image of max falling out her bed and then starting a one-sided argument with her bed filled her mind. "Well, that's good to hear," She managed to say somewhat casually.

Max happened to change the conversation towards their plans for the evening, which Victoria didn't seem to mind. "Do you have any specific stores that you want to go to?" Max asked, redoing her pony tail, which had come slightly undone while she slept. No doubt due to her restless sleeping habits.

"I'm not sure what stores this new mall has, but I'm sure that it will have at least one or two high end clothes stores." Victoria said confidently as she pulled off the highway they had been driving on for so long. They were now rolling down a slightly smaller road, towards a city scape which stood out against the mountains behind them, which were once active volcanoes.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Taylor piped up from the back. Victoria looked in the rear view mirror to see that Taylor was looking out at the mountains through the front window. She also noticed that Courtney was now awake, and was staring out of the passenger window, obviously bored.

"They really are!" Max nodded excitedly. "They're so close, like you could almost touch them!"

"If we got close enough, you could," Victoria said, her eyes still glued to the road.

"That would be great, but I don't think we have the time to do that," Max sighed, sounding somewhat disappointed.

"Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?" Victoria let out a laugh as the city become closer and closer. Soon, they were driving through the streets of Portland, buildings on either side of them. Max had lived for five years in Seattle, so the city was nothing new to her, but the sheer size of some of the buildings never ceased to amaze her. Sure, almost none of them were as big as the ones that could be found in Seattle, but she stared in awe out the windows none the less.

"There's the mall!" Courtney spoke, for what seemed the first time in ages, pointing over Victoria's shoulder – much to her annoyance – at the large series of conjoined buildings that had just come into view to their right.

"I see it," Victoria nodded, waving Courtney's hand out of her face as she turned the car into the first parking lot she could find.

The girls all got out of the car, stretching their sore backs and limbs. Max even when as far as cracking her neck, which earned a laugh from Taylor as Courtney grimaced.

"Alright, everyone," Victoria spoke up as she grabbed her purse and locked her car. "Let's go Shopping!"

Hope you enjoyed! Please let me know what you think. Take care!


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sorry, its been a while since i've uploaded a chapter, so I apologize in advance to anyone that may be disappointed by this fact. As usual, I hope you all enjoy!**

The four girls walked towards the entrance of the mall, their hands shielding their eyes from the harsh wind that made them tear up as it chilled them to the bone. Max had the thinnest clothes, so naturally out of the four she was the coldest, and her shivers showed that.

Victoria gave Max a concerned look before they finally reached the heated interior of the mall. The girls are stood der the vent blowing hot air for a few moments to warm up before venturing deeper into the mall. They had only passed a few stores before Max's attention had been snagged by a camera store. There was no way she could afford anything in there, but it didn't hurt to look longingly through the aisles.

The others went to follow, but Taylor grabbed Courtney by the arm and began dragging her away. "Courtney and I are going to check out some of the clothe stores, we'll catch up with you two later, bye!" And with that, she was gone, a loudly complaining Courtney being dragged along behind her.

Victoria blinked in surprise for a moment before realizing what Taylor was doing. "That bitch," She mumbled, hesitantly following Max into the store. She observed some of the newer models of cameras and high end equipment, but her attention wouldn't stay on the merchandise. Instead, she found herself glancing over at Max more and more often. She couldn't stop herself; the way Max's ponytail was a little messed up from the wind, and how her cheeks were still rosy from having been in the cold. Her big blue eyes scanned the rows of technology, soaking it all in as she moved through the store. Victoria almost struggled to keep up. She herself would usually stop by each item that caught her attention, carefully reading all the provided information about the piece. Max, however, cruised through the aisles, stopping for mere seconds at each item, nodding thoughtfully before moving on again, as if she already knew all there was to know about them. Maybe she did; Victoria knew max was a big photography nerd, even more so than herself, which was saying something.

After a few minutes, when Max had seen all that there was to see – which was quite a lot – she finally seemed to realize that the two of them had separated from the others. "Where are Taylor and Courtney?" She asked, looking up at Victoria.

"They said that they wanted to look at some other stores." Victoria explained as the two of them left the photography store.

"Oh, I should have asked where everyone wanted to go first; running in there like that was rude of me," She said, feeling guilty about not having thought of the others she was with.

"Don't worry too much about it, Maxine." Victoria said waving her hand dismissively through the air, as if trying to wave away Max's apology. "I get the feeling that Taylor would have dragged Courtney off anyways,"

"What makes you think that?" Max asked as they walked towards the next store, the windows of which were filled with dozens of board games and trivia boxes.

"Oh, I'm sure that they wanted to go gawk at cute boys or something," Victoria lied, before quickly changing the subject. "Should we go in here?"

"Sure!" Max nodded, and the two stepped into the store. Dragons Den, it was called. It seemed a fitting title, since many of the walls were filled with various fantasy role-playing board games. There was even a giant case full of replica swords and axes form popular games, situated behind the counter where the cashier stood.

"Wow," Victoria said as she looked around in awe. "This place is way to nerdy for me; I've never heard of any of these!" she picked up a large board game, examining the back.

"I think you're right," Max nodded thoughtfully as she examined the shelves. "I recognize a few of these, but only the major titles. I don't think I've heard of any of the others."

"Looks like the hipster nerd is stumped," Victoria teased, nudging her shoulder.

"You're right," max laughed, "I'm a _hipster_ nerd, that's the reason I don't know these,"

"Do you think there are any normal board games?" Victoria asked, putting the game back on the shelf. "You know, for us _mere mortals_?" she flashed a grin in Max's direction, and it was returned with a small laugh and a smile.

When she finished laughing, Max looked around the store once more, spotting a few shelves of standard, family themed board games. "Over there," She said, grabbing Victoria by the wrist and dragging her across the store towards the shelves.

Victoria blushed fiercely when Max grabbed her wrist, pulling her along, though thankfully her blush was hidden from Max, who was facing away from her as they walked. Max's hand was warm on Victoria's wrist, and it stirred up butterflies in her stomach and made her feel all fuzzy and warm. She shook her head, snapping herself out of this state just as they reached the shelves, where Max removed her hand. Victoria was disappointed when her friend's hand withdrew, but she straightened herself, donning her usual confident posture as they looked through the shelves.

They browsed for a short while, occasionally holding up a game for the other to see, before setting it back down again. Eventually, Max came across a game labelled Settlers of Catan. "I remember playing this with my friends back in Seattle," she said, holding it up for Victoria, who came over and peered at it over Max's shoulder.

"What is it about?" Victoria inquired, examining the artwork that was spread across the top of the box. It looked interesting enough, and it said it was for 2-4 players, which meant if they wanted, they could play with some of their friends.

"Basically you're trying to colonize a new land by setting up towns, cities and roads. You have to collect recourses to build." Max explained the overall theme of the game very briefly. "Look, they even have the expansion pack here, which lets you play with a bunch of people!"

"You seem very excited about this game," Victoria observed, looking at max thoughtfully."

"Well, it just made me think of how fun it would be to have a board game night with some friends," she said, blushing slightly at how childish she thought she sounded. Did any people her age even play board games? She wasn't sure.

Victoria looked thoughtful for a moment. She was thinking about if she should offer to buy the game for her. Max never said she wanted it, simply that the idea of having a game night appealed to her. After a few seconds of silence, Victoria plucked the box from her friend and grabbed the expansion pack, setting it on top of the original game. She had more than enough money left in her personal spending budget, so there was no harm in getting these.

"What are you doing?" Max asked, puzzled as Victoria held the boxes in her arms.

"What does it look like?" she replied with a shrug, turning to walk towards the checkout. "I'm buying these,"

"You don't have to do that." Max objected, trying to take the boxes in order to return them to the shelves.

Victoria clearly had other plans, as she held the boxes just out of Max's reach. "Honestly, Maxine," She sighed dramatically, though a small smile could be seen tugging at her lips. "Let me treat a friend to a gift now and then," Max look as though she was about to say something, but Victoria cut her off. "No arguing! Let me do this, it's the least I can do to thank you for being such a close friend."

Max huffed and crossed her arms. "You don't need to thank me for that," She said, but other than that, she offered no more interference as Victoria marched towards the till, setting the boxes down on the counter. She followed her blond friend to the checkout, where she was already paying the man that stood at the cash register. Once she had her receipt and the boxes were tucked into a shopping bag, the two girls left the store.

"I wonder where Courtney and Taylor are?" Max said, mostly to herself, as she reached for her phone. Three new messages. The first two were simply texts from Taylor, asking to meet them in the food court when they were done in the game store, but the third… Max's breath hitched in her throat as she read the first line.

 **Unknown:** _Hey, Max, its Chloe…_

Max felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Victoria giving her a worried look. "Maxine, are you okay? You look like you're about to freak out!"

"Sorry, I'm fine, it's just…" She paused and finished reading the message.

 **Unknown:** _Hey, Max, its Chloe…_

 **Unknown:** _I'm sorry, so sorry, about what I asked you to do the other day. I hope you don't hate me because of it._

"It's Chloe," Max told Victoria. Her friend's face softened, and Max felt her squeeze her shoulder slightly. "I'll give you a moment, if you need it."

"No, it's okay," max grabbed Victoria's sleeve as though she was worried she was going to leave her. "Please, stay… I just need to respond; it will only take a minute." Victoria nodded and kept a close eye on her friend as she turned away to hurriedly typed up a message to send back.

 **Max:** _I could never hate you Chloe, it just made me so sad when I found out how you felt. I could never do anything to hurt you. I just want to be your friend again._

Almost immediately there was a response.

 **Unknown:** _I know, and it was awful of me to ask you to even think about doing something like that. All I could ever want is to be friends again. Can we hang out soon? I promise it won't be so depressing this time._

 **Max:** _Yes, we can hang out again, very soon. I've missed you so much._

 **Unknown:** _I've missed you too. I have to go try to eat, but we'll talk later, okay?"_

 **Max:** _Okay, take care._

Before slipping her phone back into her pocket, Max added Chloe's number into her contacts, so her messages were no longer simply labeled _unknown_. She looked up to Victoria and put on a smile. Hopefully things would get better. "Okay," she said. "I'm ready to get a move on."


End file.
